Death Doesn't Discriminate
by the8horcrux
Summary: Peter Parker is babysitting Morgan one day, who is trying to figure out where her daddy went, and unfortunately, death doesn't discriminate. Why Pepper is the best of wives and best of women. A collection of MCU one shots that are prompted by the songs from Hamilton.
1. Chapter One: Wait for it 1

**_ Chapter One: Wait for it #1_**

_Death doesn't discriminate  
Between the sinners and the saints  
It takes and it takes and it takes  
And we keep living anyway  
We laugh and we cry and we break and we make our mistakes_

* * *

"Hey, Peter!"

"Hey, Mrs. Potts, what's up?" Peter quickly scrawled an answer on his math quiz and held the phone to his ear with his shoulder.

"I have an appointment with Congress tomorrow and I'll be staying in Washington D.C. Do you think you could come and sleep over at our house and babysit Morgan for me?"

"Yeah, that'd be cool. When d'you want me to come over?"

"Oh, two pm should be great. Thanks, Peter!"

"No problem, Mrs. Potts. School ends at one thirty so that should be perfect."

"Honestly, Peter, how many times do I have to remind you to call me Pepper?"

"Sure, Mrs. Potts. Bye."

"Bye, Peter."

Peter Parker hung up their home phone and grinned, spinning around in the swivel chair next to the computer. Morgan was basically his new little sister now, and he was definitely looking forward to babysitting her.

Especially since she was one of the only people who didn't give him concerned glances all the time now. Ever since Mr. Stark's… well, anyway, everyone had been treating him like a stick of dynamite with a short fuse.

Everyone but Morgan. Sure, that was because she was five and didn't understand yet, but it made a nice change. "May!"

"Yeah?"

"I'm babysitting Morgan tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine. You need the money, anyway."

Peter groaned. "I'm not making Pepper pay me anything, May."

She kissed his cheek. "Of course not. Now, get some rest. You'll need your energy to take care of that kid."

"Are you kidding? Morgan's an angel."

May winked. "Yeah, but you haven't seen her when she's on a sugar high."

"Well, yeah, but—wait, have you?"

May grinned, and then pushed Peter towards his bedroom. "Bed, Peter!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Peter lay awake that night, trying not to relive the memories that he worked so hard to keep away replaying in his mind.

The color drain from Tony's face… slumping on the ground, dead… his funeral…

And before he knew it, Peter was asleep, although his conscious brain tried to fight against it, knowing about the nightmares that would be coming next.

_Tony Stark, in his suit, half the side crumbling away, his hand reaching out to point at Peter, who was backing away. _

_"You should have helped me, kid. I gave you that suit for a reason. You should have been better. You're not enough! _

_"Yes I am! I tried!"_

_"You should have tried harder. You'll never be enough, good enough, strong enough…"_

_Enough, _enough_, enough…._

_The word echoed through Peter's brain, and suddenly the ground opened from below him, and he was falling, falling into darkness…_

Then a crash made him jerk awake, sweat pouring down his face. He blinked, trying to get his surroundings and locate the sound of the crash.

He focused on the nightstand, and then looked down. On the ground was the photo of himself and Tony, right after he'd gotten the internship. Peter was grinning, holding a certificate, and Tony looked rather bored.

His hand must have punched the dresser and the photo had fallen off from the force. The glass was shattered.

Shattered, just like Tony's broken body, just like Peter's stupid life…

Peter picked it up, set it on the nightstand so hard the windows shuddered, and fell back into his bed.

_It was just a dream, _he tried to reassure himself. _Just a stupid dream…_

But was it, though? The same thing every night, maybe different variations occasionally, but the same principles. It wasn't anything different than his waking mind thought every minute of every day, every time he saw a picture, a news report, or even Pepper Potts.

He stood up, unable to stand being alone with only his thoughts for company. Maybe some water would clear his head. He filled the cup of water from the tap and took a long drink, when something new caught his eye.

A new vandalism picture of Mr. Stark was now spray-painted on the apartment across from theirs. His suit was on, hand out, as if he was about to blast Peter to pieces.

How long Peter stood there, he didn't know, but only when the tips of the sun rose above New York City did he rouse himself and get back in bed, pretending to be asleep for when Aunt May came to wake him up.

* * *

"You look terrible."

"Thanks, Ned."

"No I mean seriously. You're eyes are all puffy and your face is pale, and—"

"I'm _fine, _Ned."

Peter had spoken sharper than he had intended, and his best friend looked slightly hurt. Peter turned back to his lunch, picking at the school's PB&J. It was true, though, he was exhausted. May had pestered him all morning about him looking peaky, and Peter had left in a hurry to avoid talking about his nightmares.

Plus, he'd run into MJ and Brad on the bus, which did nothing to lift his spirits.

"Is it nightmares again?" Ned spoke in a low voice, careful not to be overheard by Betty and Flash, who were sitting a table away from them.

Peter kept his eyes trained on the trophy case across from them, determinedly blinking away the dust in his eyes that was making them water. "I never should have told you that." He muttered.

"But was it?"

Peter glanced at Ned before looking away again. "Yeah. Yeah, it was." He said reluctantly. Ned looked concerned. "You know you can talk to me, if you want to—"

"No, that's okay, thanks." Peter said in a rush, suddenly picking up his bag and standing up. "There's the bell. Gotta go."

He was walking so fast that he almost ran into MJ in the hall, stopping just in time. "Whoa," She raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry." He murmured, trying to casually smooth his hair, while cursing himself. He _knew _he shouldn't have worn the shirt with the stain in it today…

"How come your eyes are all puffy?" MJ noticed.

"Just… long night." Peter said, trying to sound unconcerned. He saw a flash of pain in her eyes, like she'd experienced that as well, but it was quickly quelled.

She shrugged and pulled her bag over her shoulder. "Well, see you, loser."

"Yeah… see you." He stood still, watching her go over her shoulder. He suddenly started and ran to class, hoping that he wouldn't be late.

* * *

"Petey!"

Morgan squealed and ran toward Peter, jumping into him and nearly knocking him over. "Hey, Morgan!" Peter grinned despite his less-than-awesome day.

"Mommy says you're babysitting me." Morgan said excitedly.

"Yeah, I am, and we're gonna have tons of fun!"

"I don't think you should be babysitting me." She said, suddenly serious.

"How come?" Peter asked, slightly taken aback.

"Because I'm NOT a baby. I'm a kid!"

"That's true." Peter smiled again. "We should call it kidsitting, huh?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, should we go inside now?"

"Yeah!"

Peter walked inside the Starks' cabin, holding hands with Morgan, and inspected the list on the table. It had Pepper and Happy's numbers (like Peter hadn't memorized them already) and when Morgan was supposed to go to bed.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Peter asked Morgan. She thought for a minute. "Can we play Legos? Mommy says I'm really good at building."

"Sure, kiddo." Peter located a huge bin of random Legos in Morgan's bookshelf and poured them all out on the living room floor. Morgan squealed with delight, instantly found a green base and started building.

Peter absently built a model of the Manhattan Bridge, and after a while he noticed Morgan was being suspiciously quiet. He glanced over and saw that she was lying on her stomach, completely absorbed in the huge castle she was building.

Peter did a double take. Wow… that was a _really big_ castle. It looked like it could have been shipped in a package. "Morgan… that's great!"

"Thanks." She said, still trying to take apart two thin pieces. "Mommy says I'm gonna be as smart as Daddy someday. How smart was Daddy, Petey?"

Peter swallowed the lump that had appeared in his throat. "Your Daddy… was pretty smart, Morgan."

"Well, I'm gonna be smarter than Daddy." And with that she turned back to her castle and continued building.

They worked in silence for an hour. Peter snapped a picture of the now complete castle to send to Pepper, then made some mac'n'cheese.

He put Morgan to bed and was about to make his way to the guest room that he was going to sleep in when he heard a little voice calling back at him.

"Petey?"

Peter ducked his head back in her room. "Yeah?"

"Where's Daddy gone?"

Peter sighed and sat down on her bed. "I don't know, Morgan."

"Mommy says he's gone to a better place. What does that mean? Wasn't this place okay?" She thought for a minute. "Maybe he's gone to Hawaii."

"No, Morgan, he hasn't gone to Hawaii." Peter stifled a chuckle.

"Where's he gone, then?"

"I don't know."

She stared at the ceiling. "I miss him."

"Me too." Peter said softly.

"One time I caught Mommy crying. I asked her why and she said she missed him, too. I guess a lot of people miss him."

"Yeah… a lot of people do."

"Do you miss Daddy?"

Peter stopped. "Yeah, I do."

"It's okay, Petey. We'll see daddy again someday."

"I hope so, Morgan, I hope so."

Peter slowly got up and walked back to his room. He sat down on the bed and discovered that the hole in his stomach that he hadn't even noticed he'd had had lessened slightly.

* * *

**A/N Hope you enjoyed and this brought some fun feels to your day. Drop me a review if you have the time!**


	2. Chapter Two: Wait for it 2

_**Chapter Two: Wait for it #2**_

_And if there's a reason I'm still alive  
__When everyone who loves me has died  
__Then I'm willing to wait for it_

* * *

_Wanda_

_Five year old Wanda giggles as she chases her brother around their little shack in Sokovia. Pietro has always been fast, but Wanda catches him. He, in turn, turns around and starts chasing her. She squeals with delight and they run around for what feels like hours, finally collapsing in a heap on the ground. _

"_Children, come to dinner!" Their mother calls. Wanda and Pietro both turn to each other, wearing pouty faces. _

"_Don't want to!" Pietro finally says in a whiny tone. Wanda giggles again and pushes him. Pietro pushes her back. This escalates into an all-out war. Their mother is finally forced to come outside and bring them to dinner. _

_Being carried on both of their mother's hips, Pietro leans over to Wanda, whispering, "You know, I'm twelve minutes older than you." _

_Wanda glares. "We're twins, stupid!" _

"_So?"_

"_Wanda, Pietro! Quiet!" Mother intervenes. Wanda and Pietro glare at each other for a moment, before dissolving into snickers._

* * *

"—anda? Wanda!" Wanda flinched, dropping her glass of water on the floor with a shatter. She was yanked out of her flashback of her brother when Sam Wilson pushed open the door looking worried.

"Oh," said Sam, relieved. "I was worried you—"He noticed the shattered glass on the floor, and his eyes travelled up to her face, which she was trying to morph into a calm expression. From the concern in his eyes, she had failed. Utterly.

"You okay?"

Wanda chose her words carefully.

'_Fine, just having a flashback of my dead brother and parents. Happens all the time.'_

'_Completely fine, it's just I haven't slept in two weeks.'_

'_Fine. I'm living with an in a place created by the killer of my parents. He also created the robot that, by extension, killed my brother. Why wouldn't I be fine?'_

"I fell asleep."

Sam raised his eyebrows. He didn't believe her. Panic seized Wanda. She was sure he was going to drill her, ask her if she was okay again, press her until she was forced to relive the memories that she already spent the nights seeing played out in front of her eyes, a horror movie that never ended, because the lights would never come on, the credits would never play, she would never step out into the light with her brother, _her brother_—

"Wanda!"

Wanda realized she was hyperventilating. "Y-Yes?" She said, fighting to keep her voice steady.

"Steve wanted me to come tell you that you're doing one-on-one training with him in fifteen minutes." Sam said.

Try as she might, Wanda could not stop a sigh of relief escaping her lips. He wasn't going to press her.

"I'll be there."

Sam nodded slowly and started to walk away, when he turned back. "Wanda?"

Inhale. "Yeah?"

"You know I'm a therapist, right?"

Exhale. "No, I... I didn't know."

His dark eyes searched hers. "Well, if you need me... I can help, okay? Because I know adjusting here isn't exactly easy. So if you need anyone to talk to, my room's across the hall."

Her chest ached. "I... thank you, Sam." She turned away to stare at the bird flying by her windowsill. She heard the door click shut and sighed quietly.

* * *

_The funny thing about normal days is that they can become abnormal extremely quickly._

_They are sitting at the dinner table, in their usual spots. Mother and Father are sitting at the heads, and Pietro and Wanda are facing each other at the sides. Pietro, as usual, is eating is dinner like if he lets it sit for too long, it will disappear. Wanda is more delicate, cutting each piece carefully and inserting it into her mouth. After all, their family is poor, so they don't know the next time they will have a meal like this. She may as well enjoy it while she can. _

_Their parents worked hard for there to be a good meal on the twin's tenth birthday. Mother and Father are trying to act cheerful, but there is an aura of anxiety around the table. There has been a series of attacks against the city for months now, and everyone is worried that they will be next. Father checks to make sure his gun is loaded every time he leaves the house, but what will bullets do against bombs?_

_Wanda pushes away her plate and rests her head against her arms. Pietro stares at his empty bowl like he's wondering where the food went._

_There is a rumbling sound. Pietro stops eating. "Do you hear something?" Wanda shakes her head. _

_The parents realize what is happening before the children do. Their mother pushes them out of the way just in time._

_The first shell hits._

_Debris flies everywhere. Wanda has just enough time to cover her face with her hands. When the shaking stops and the dust clears, Wanda and Pietro see their parents' dead bodies lying in the hole._

_Pietro recovers quicker. _

_As the room rumbles and pieces of the ceiling start to fall, Pietro grabs Wanda and they both roll under the bed._

_Wanda is crying, making streaks of white in the brown dust in her face. Pietro's face looks empty.=_

_The second shell hits, but it doesn't go off. It sits three feet from their faces. Wanda's breath hitches. She doesn't dare take another breath, for she suddenly has an irrational fear that anything that touches it will set it off, and they will both be dead._

_But the seconds tick by, and Wanda is forced to breathe. Pietro holds her. She sobs into his shoulder. Tears drop on her head and she knows they aren't hers._

_Finally Wanda recovers enough to read the words on the side of the bomb._

Stark.

Stark Industries.

_She swears that she will do anything in her power to make this Stark person pay. People rush into the room, shifting rocks and bricks, trying to make a space large enough where the twins can crawl through._

_But for hours they sit there, and when finally they escape Wanda collapses in Pietro's arms._

"_Where will we go?" She asks finally. The orphanages in the city are unreliable, and Mother and Father never let them go near the place._

_"It will be okay." Pietro says. She notices that he doesn't answer her question._

"_How do you know?"_

_Pietro is silent for a moment. "Because I'm twelve minutes older than you." _

_Wanda makes a noise between a sob and a laugh._

* * *

The dummy Wanda was practicing on exploded into dust. She drew her red energy back into her body. She let her hand fall.

"Good." Steve said approvingly, apparently not noticing Wanda's shining eyes. Suddenly, Tony Stark rushed in. Wanda had to force the surge of rage that came up whenever she saw that man.

_He's better now, _she reminded herself.

"What's up, Cap?" He said easily. He noticed her. "And Miss Magic. How are you?"

Wanda forced down a scathing reply. "I'm well, Mr. Stark."

He waved a hand. "No 'Mr. Stark'. My name is Tony. Only politicians call me Mr. Stark."

Wanda nodded, but she doubted she would be on first name basis with Tony Stark anytime soon.

"What are you doing here, Tony?" Steve said curiously.

"Thought I'd drop by." He said casually. "Oh, and to get a power analysis on Miss Magic over here. I for one want to see what she's capable of."

Wanda sighed. "I am not a weapon for your using… Tony." She forced out the last word.

"Of course not." He agreed. "But I just want to see what you can do when we go on missions together. Need to know if you can watch my back or I have to watch yours."

Those were the magic words. Wanda could definitely take care of herself, and she wanted Stark to know it.

She sent out a blast of her energy over to a wall, shattering a window. She used the energy to push herself of the ground, floating towards the ceiling. When she was angry, the strange power was one with her. She felt invincible. With a yell, she slammed back down to the floor and the ground rumbled and cracked.

A crater appeared.

"Sorry for the property damage." She said dryly.

"Wow." Tony said, blinking quickly. He seemed to be trying to regain control of his sarcasm muscle. "I—wow. Not bad for a beginning." He said finally.

"How come you never did that stuff during our training sessions?" Steve asked, sounding slightly offended. Wanda shrugged.

"There was never a reason to."

She made the mistake at glancing down at the crater she made, and was reminded of the crater that her parents had lain in. She could practically see their unseeing eyes staring up at her.

The world pitched sideways, and she fell over. Steve caught her.

"Wanda, are you okay?"

"Fine." She murmured, waving him away. She kept her eyes carefully away from the crater.

Walking carefully, one foot in front of another, she exited the training room and returned to her room.

* * *

_Wanda rakes her red energy across the field of robots, destroying wave after wave. "Get the people on the boats!" She shouts to Pietro. _

"_I'm not going to leave you here." He replies, and as she looks at him, she sees the stubborn younger boy he used to be, the one that somehow was lost in HDYRA's experiments._

_She smiles at him. "I can handle this." She blasts away a nearby robot without looking at it. "Come back for me when everyone is off, not before." _

_Pietro just looks at her._

_Wanda sighs. "You understand?"_

_Pietro is silent for a few more seconds. "You know, I'm twelve minutes older than you."_

_Wanda laughs. "Go."_

_He smiles, and just like that—he's gone, just a blur in the wind. _

_As she fights, she can sense everyone. Clint and Natasha are near each other, Steve is in a boat. Thor and Stark are flying around the city. _

_Now Clint is moving away from Natasha. He seems to be holding a small boy. Pietro is near them as well. She senses his fear._

Pietro, what's happening?

_With a stab to her heart she feels something enter his. His life force wanes-it disappears._

_ She falls to the ground, red streaming out of her in waves. The robots collapse. She hears an inhuman scream and realizes it's hers._

* * *

"Miss Maximoff?"

Wanda nearly fell off her bed. She looked up to see Vision, currently wearing slacks and a dress shirt, which contrasted strangely with his red and silver metallic face. He was looking at her with concern. Wanda glanced at the door. It was still closed.

"Vision, did you just... phase through my walls?"

"...yes. Is that... displeasing to you?"

Wanda swallowed, feeling a strange desire to laugh. "Not particularly, just... maybe knock next time?"

He nodded, looking uncomfortable. "I will keep that in mind, Miss Maximoff."

"Viz, call me Wanda. We've talked about this."

"All right... Wanda."

He said her name strangely, but she liked the way it sounded.

Suddenly her stomach rumbled. Perhaps her little power play with Tony had taken more energy than she had anticipated. "Are you hungry?" Vision asked unexpectedly.

"Yes, actually." Wanda ran her fingers through her light brown hair.

"I believe there is leftover pizza in the common room." She must have made a face at that, because the android backtracked quickly.

"Er... alternatively, we could have the rest of the ice cream in the freezer."

Wanda moistened her lips. "Did you say... 'we'?"

Vision hesitated. "Yes, I did."

She swung her legs off her bed. "Then let's get some, Viz." She left to head towards the kitchen. If she had lingered, she would have noticed the small smile that appeared on Vision's face.

* * *

**A/N not my best, but I hope you enjoyed anyway. Next up, Best of Wives and Best of Women! Drop a review if you liked this, they feed my soul!**


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